Dish-drainer



(No Model.)

P. MITCHELL.

DISH DRAINER.

No. 510,185. Patented Deo. 5I 1893.

IINTTED- STATES PATENT Trice.

FRANK MITCHELL, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

DISH-DRAINER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 510,185, dated.l December 5, 1893.

Application iiled lTune 19, 1893. Serial No. 478.040. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANK MITCHELL, of the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Holding Dishes, dac., of which the following is a full, clear, and eXact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to an improved device for holding and draining dishes, and it consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and designated in the claims.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved dish-holder and draiuer in which dishes and other articles may be stored both prior to and after draining, and which shall be simple and inexpensive in construction and efficient and convenient in use.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved dish-holder and drainer with the side doors thrown open. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of same taken on the line A-A of Fig. 1, with the doors closed. Fig. 3 isa sectional end elevation of same with the doors closed taken on the line B-B of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the dish-rack detached. Fig. 5 is a detail transverse sectional elevation on the line C-O of Fig. l1 of the lower portion of the device.

My improved dish-holder and drainer is constructed with two separate compartments 1 and 2, provided with doors 3,4, 5, 6. These compartments are placed end to end with their front and rear sides in alignment. They are provided with a common rear side 7 which' extends from end to end of each. vA vertical partition S forms the adjacent end of each compartment.

Beneath the compartments is a common drain trough 9 which is preferably U-shaped in cross-section, and is provided with an inclined bottom 10. The upper end of the inclined bottom 10 is located adjacent the free end of the compartment 1, while the lower end thereof is located beneath the compartment 2, and the upper edges of this trough are detachably secured beneath the two compartments by means of suitable hinges and` fastenings, so that said trough may be removed at any time, for cleaning purposes and repair.

11 indicates common hooks depending from the lower edge of the rear side 7 of the compartment 1, which hooks are detachably engaged by small apertures 12, formed in the adjacent edge of the trough so that said trough may swing downward as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3, or be detached from said hooks when desired.

The front edge ofv the trough is held in proper position beneath the edge of the front wall of the compartment 1 by means of a spring-hook 13 having its lower end secured upon the interior of the trough adjacent the front edge thereof by means of suitable rivets or other fastenings 14, so that the upper portion of the hookwill project above the u pper edge of said trough. The upper end of the hook 13 is free and provided with an incline 15. The front lower horizontal bar 16 of the compartment 1 is provided with a pushbolt 17 working loosely in a horizontal passage 18 formed in said bar so that the inner ends of said bolt engage the said hook when said bolt is pushed inward, and thereby detach said hook from a projection 19 which it normally overhangs when the trough is in a closed p osition. The bolt 17 is provided with a reduced portion 2O intermediate of its inner end and its head 2l, and this reduced portion is mounted in an apertured circular face-plate 22 fixed upon the front of the bar 16. rThe aperture in the face plate 22 is of a less diameter than the main body of the bolt and the head 21 thereof so that it will be impossible for said bolt to be removed from the passage 18 without removal of said face-plate or the head of the bolt, so that said bolt is thereby loosely retained in the position described, and adapted to slide therein.

The compartment 1 is provided with an open bottom 23 throughout its length in direct communication with the interior of the trough 9.

The bottom 24 of the compartment 2 is permanently closed and is provided with a drainspout 25, the interior of which communicates with the interior of said compartment, and which is located vertically adjacent the meeting ends of the compartments, so as to dis- IOO charge dish water into the trough 9. The compartment 2 is preferably constructed in the form of a refrigerator having double walls of any common construction.

26 indicates a dish-rack having a height and length corresponding to the height and length of the compartment 1, but having a width much less than the width of said compartment and located therein and supported by means of screws or other common fastenings 34 which engage openings 35 formed in the vertical bars of said dish-rack, and are driven into the adjacent end walls of said compartment, so as to leave a vertical space 27 both in front and rear of said rack. This `dish-rack is preferably composed of upper horizontal bars 28, lower horizontal bars 29, and intermediate horizontal bars 30, vertical bars 31 and short cross-bars 32 arranged so as to form a rectangular figure carrying a series of vertical round rods or wires 33 between the adjacent ones of which the dishes are to be set on edge resting upon the horizontal bars 29 and 30, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3.

The operation is as follows: The combined dish holder and drainer thus constructed is preferably to be set above a sink, so that the drain trough 9 will discharge the drainage into said sink. Dishes containing food, or soiled dishes containing the remnants of meats, gravies, dac., may be first stored while soiled in the refrigerator 2, and may be retained therein for an indefinite length of time, and will be kept in a presentable condition by the ice which is to be stored therein, until the operator chooses to wash them, which she may do by removing them through the door 6 or through any common door formed in the refrigerating chamber 2. After the dishes have been washed, they are placed edgewise between the adjacent vertical flats or rods 33 of the disk-rack 26 and left to drain, the drain water gravitating downward through the open bottom 23 of the chamber, and into the trough 9 and thence to the sink or other receptacle. The drainage from the compartment 2 also flows into the trough 9 through the spout 25. The dishes may be stored within the chamber 1 for an indefinite length of time, the doors 3, 4, and 5 being opened to permit their drying, and closed after they have been dried to prevent entrance of iiies and other insects through said doors. The edges of the stored dishes project into the vertical spaces 27 in front and rear ot' the dish rack. When it is desired to drop the front edge of the trough 9 downward, or to detach the same for cleaning purposes, all that is necessary is for the operator to press the bolt 17 inward until its inner end engages the hook 13 and detaches the same from the projection'19 of the bar 16 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, when said edge will be released and the trough willdrop downward about to the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3. The rear edge of the trough may be readily detached from the hooks 11 and the trough removed bodily if desired. In closing the trough, its front edge is thrown upward until the incline 15 of the hook 13 engages the under edge of the bar 16, and as the movement upward continues said incline slides upon said edge and the hook is enabled to pass said edge and then spring outward until it again overhangs the projection 19, as shown in Fig. 5, when the trough will be securely held in normal position.

Vtfhat I claim is- 1. The improved dish holder and. drainer, constructed with two separate compartments 1 and 2, provided with doors 3, 4, 5 and 6, and placed end to end with their front and rear sides in alignment, a dish rach located within said compartment 1 to hold dishes on edge, and a drain trough 9 located beneath both compartments and arranged to receive dish-water from each, substantially as herein specified.

2. The improved dish-holder and drainer constructed in the form of a compartment having a door in one side and an open bottom, a dish-rack located in said compartment and constructed to hold dishes on edge, hooks 11 depending from the lower edge of the rear side of said compartment, a trough 9 U- shaped in cross-section with its rear edge secured to said hooks and detachable therefrom, and a spring hook 13 secured to the opposite edge of said trough and arranged to engage a projection upon the front edge of said compartment and support said edge in position, substantially as herein specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK MITCHELL.

Witnesses:

1V. J. SANKEY, JNO. C. HIGDON.

IOO 

